KATHMANDU, AUGUST 22
Sita Rana Magar starred with the ball as Nepal defeated Hong Kong by six wickets in the opening match of the MCA Women's T20 Quadrangular Series at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur today.
Batting first, Hong Kong were bowled out for 84 runs in 19.1 overs, before Nepal raced to 87-4 with 25 balls to spare. Nepal will play against Kuwait in the second match on Wednesday.
Rana Magar completed a five-wicket haul to help Nepal dismiss cheaply. She became the fourth Nepali bowler to take five-wicket haul in Twenty20 Internationals. Anjali Chand, Nary Thapa and Ashmina Karmacharya have achieved the feat.
Chasing an easy target, Nepal lost opener Bindu Rawal in the second ball of the innings, while Indu Barma (nine) was also dismissed cheaply. Opener Puja Mahatto and Samjhana Kumari Khadka added 30 runs for the third wicket to revive the innings. Mahatto scored 16 off 18 balls before being bowled by Ka Ying Chan in the ninth over.
Khadka and skipper Rubina Chhetry Belbashi added 24 runs for the fourth wicket to take the team closer to victory. Belbashi was dismissed for 20-ball 10, bowled by Bibi Maryam. Khadka and Sita Rana Magar (three) took the team home without further loss. Khadka remained unbeaten on run-a-ball 36 that included five boundaries.
Iqra Sahar, Mariko Tabitha Aoto, Bibi Maryam and Ka Ying Chan grabbed one wicket each for Hong Kong.
Earlier, Ka Ying Chan top scored for Hong Kong with 34 off 29 balls with the help of two boundaries and a six. Shing Yan Dorothea Chan was the next best at 33-ball 16, while other batters failed to score in double figures. They shared a partnership of 42 runs for the third wicket before Hong Kong lost the last eight wickets for 29 runs.
Rana Magar was the pick of the Nepali bowlers taking 5-16 from four overs, while Indu Barma grabbed two wickets. Kabita Kunwar, Puja Mahatto and skipper Rubina Chhetry Belbashi claimed one wicket apiece.
In another match, hosts Malaysia defeated Kuwait by eight wickets in five-over match. Batting first, Kuwait scored 22-7 and Malaysia reached 23-2 in 3.5 overs in reply. After round robin league, the top two teams will advance to the final.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 23, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
